Marmon EWC Launches Fiber Optic Sensing Solutions Program with Industry Expert DeStephen To Lead Its Introduction

Marmon EWC Launches Fiber Optic Sensing Solutions Program with Industry Expert DeStephen To Lead Its Introduction Marmon Engineered Wire & Cable (Marmon EWC), a globally recognized group of specialized cable designers and manufacturers, has introduced a diverse line Fiber Optic Sensing Solutions (FOSS) systems used to monitor data in critical operating and harsh condition environments, and appointed industry expert, Derek DeStephen, to lead product introductions.

Marmon Engineered Solutions’ FOSS system offerings are unique because they can be adapted to a wide range of monitoring applications including power & utility transmission lines and substations, transit tunnels and terminal infrastructures, oil & gas pipelines, chemical and petrochemical processing plants, as well as nuclear and other special hazard facilities.

The FOSS products include a fiber optic cable that acts as the sensor and an attached data acquisition system and visualization platform designed for a particular application. By using a single standard fiber optic cable as a continuous sensing element, Marmon’s FOSS system records real-time accurate measurements over thousands of meters to determine critical differences in temperature, strain, acoustics, and/or vibration along the entire length of installed fiber optic cable.

The FOSS system establishes a baseline of normal light pulse reflection that can be compared instantaneously to any abrupt or subtle changes along the entire transmission path of the fiber optic cable as the light signal returns to its source. The FOSS system software can then process and display recorded measurements that are integrated into a facility’s existing software to create monitoring alerts within crucial life safety or plant operating systems.

For example, Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) is the most established type of distributed fiber optic sensing technology. A DTS system detects temperature change by comparing the differences in certain wavelengths of light transmission being reflected along every meter of the fiber optic cable. In addition to DTS, Marmon Engineered Solution’s incorporates other distributed fiber sensing technologies including DAS for monitoring acoustics, DVS for detecting vibration, and DSS to indicate strain.

Derek DeStephen has spent nearly 10 years in the Oil & Gas Industry with focus on Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing Technology. He began his career with Halliburton under the Completions and Reservoir Performance Monitoring Product Service Lines after graduating with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech. He has held both senior technical professional and senior project manager roles for Pinnacle, a Halliburton Service, while performing as operations leader and technical expert for DTS (Distributed Temperature Sensing) and DAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensing) related projects on both the west coast and southern U.S. regions with work experience offshore and spanning five continents. He also has experience on projects related to DSS (Distributed Strain Sensing) systems